Brett Cullen has joined the cast of Todd Phillips’ Joker, replacing Alec Baldwin as Thomas Wayne — aka Bruce Wayne’s father. Baldwin was on board to play the role in the origin movie, but had to drop out at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Marc Maron, and Frances Conroy round out the cast.
“I’m no longer doing that movie,” Baldwin told USA Today in late August. “I’m sure there are 25 guys who can play that part.”
Phillips is co-writing and directing the highly anticipated Warner Bros. movie, which is set to bow on Oct. 4, 2019. He revealed a first look at Phoenix, before he becomes the infamous Batman villain, on Sunday. He captioned the image with just Arthur.
In the comics, Thomas Wayne is a philanthropist in Gotham City. When he and his wife are murdered, Bruce Wayne is inspired to become Batman and fight crime.
Cullen, who appeared as a congressman in another Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, was most recently seen in Netflix’s Narcos. His other credits include The Shallows with Blake Lively and The Guilt Trip.
